Rapist jailed for 7 years

AN Airlie Beach rapist was jailed for seven years yesterday and will not be eligible for parole until April, 2011.

Judge Keith Dodds described the man's rape of a 35-year-old female English backpacker and the attempted rape of a female American tourist as very serious offences.

Christopher Charles Gardener, 20, disability pensioner, of Proserpine, pleaded guilty in the District Court on Monday to rape and attempted rape at Airlie Beach on October 26 last year.

Judge Dodds declared that the crimes were ''serious violence offences'' which requires Gardener to serve at least 80% of the seven years before being able to apply for parole.

Judge Dodds said he made the declaration because the rape was committed at night, on a woman walking alone, involved a threat to kill her and was carried out after an earlier attempted rape.

Gardener remained emotionless in court and said nothing. Gardener attacked an American woman in the dark on Shute Harbour Road about 2.10am. He grabbed her arms but she was able to punch him and run away.

At 2.30am Gardener approached the English woman at the same location, grabbed her in a headlock, dragged her across the road, threw her down an embankment, held one forearm across her throat and threatened to kill her.

He removed some clothes with his other hand and raped the woman.

DNA profiling was used to catch him and he was arrested two weeks later.

Computer-generated images of the suspect which were published by The Daily Mercury and The Whitsunday Times helped to catch him.